Devil Hunter Naruto
by RavenKnight013
Summary: Naruto gets fed up with getting abused by the villagers. REceiving permission, he leaves the village to train. Returning after three years, what will have changed? Alternate universe, devil hunting, strong characters. Does not own Naruto or Devil May Cry.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Bad Days and Strangers

Naruto was not happy. Naruto was having a bad day. He was having a bad day because he had failed his exam to become an official genin. Again. On his was to the ramen stand in a faint hope of consoling himself with some ramen, he had been beset by a drunken villager screaming imprecations at him in a grumbly, drink-slurred voice. Naruto, being no idiot (despite the careful mask he had erected), fled before things could get worse. Alas, no luck. In his rush to get out, he had pushed another villager who tried to stop the "demon brat" from receiving a completely un-justified beating.

This resulted in what was in many ways a lynch-mob being formed. Jumping on a wall and rebounding onto the top of a fence that would- hopefully- stop the bulk of this insanity, Naruto looked back and sweat dropped before hissing in vexation. He didn't do anything to them. He wanted to protect them, for Kami's sake! Shaking his head at the stupidity of these morons, Naruto hopped off the fence and zipped out of there before any of the villagers could climb the fence.

Naruto was moving through a forested area near Konoha's walls heading towards one of his temporary refuges. He had needed to set up a couple here and there around Konoha and its premises to survive up to his current fifteen years of age. It had the basics, namely a roof and a source of heat, in this case a place to kindle a fire and some camp-trip worthy food. He smiled as he remembered the Old Man having helped him, showing him the places to put the stuff.

--_**Flashback**_--

A younger Naruto had been brought before the Third Hokage after a bad beating. While he was being seen by a Med-Ninja the Hokage trusted, Naruto told him the tale. The old man was livid at what had been done to the boy, and promised Naruto- again- that the persons responsible would be punished.

Or at least he tried to. Naruto had interrupted him before he could say the words he was more often than not unable to keep.

"Old man, we both know better than that. The council would just let them off again, if not reward them for it. You and I both know that!" the boy had cried out in betrayed pain. He knew it wasn't the Lord Hokage's fault, but he had had enough. Too much. Now, in the presence of the one person who cared for him as himself, not as a legacy of some kind (he still had to get the full story about that…) he could let out the pain, the anger in a safe place where he was understood. The kindly old man held him as he cried with that pain and that betrayal, since in his opinion it was fully justified and not a little overdue.

Once the storm of weeping had passed, the man who treated Naruto like a stern yet kindly and fair Grandfather regarded him with a steady gaze, then apparently made a decision.

"Naruto, I want to show you something. This will be a secret between us and the caretakers who watch over you. This is not to be spoken of except to them, understand?"

Sarutobi had, in the absence of a true father, tried to teach Naruto honor, compassion, and the gentler qualities in humankind. When he had announced his desire to become a shinobi of Konohagakure, Sarutobi was shocked, and asked him why. They young boy's answer had been surprising.

"I want to become Hokage like you grandfather. Protecting those who care for me and those of this village like you have."

Well, while that had been a major ego-boost to the old man's morale, he had given the young man a factual account of a ninja's life. He didn't try to sugar-coat things for his young mind. Naruto had, at that age, an amazing mental resiliency that Sarutobi could only envy.

Getting his mind back on track, the old, but still strong Hokage had shown Naruto safe places to establish his hide-outs. Taught him what he truly needed there, and what was more of a creature comfort than anything else. Naruto had absorbed the information like a parched land drinks rain after a twenty year drought.

--_Flashback Ends_--

Naruto had to smile at the old man giving him the much-needed information. So, here he was in one of the safe hiding spots, planning on making it an all nighter because of the ruckus that had been directed at him. He scowled as he remembered the class that he had been ejected from after failing on a practical skills test. He had been held up as an object of scorn, thus- to Naruto's not-so-young mind- earing some payback for the abuse heaped on him. Naruto may not have the greatest chakra control in this years class, but he'd be damned before Kami if he's let the teacher, one Inuzuka Habarame, get away with that.

The boy was so lost in thought that he barely heard the thump from the other side of the tree he was hiding behind. Almost. He had learned to keep at least a bit of his attention on his surroundings at all times. He'd had that lesson drilled into him that even if he thought he was safe, odds were good he could still be taken by surprise.

Quickly rolling to the side, he grabbed his small emergency kit in one hand and his weapons kit in the other. He'd needed both before, and he tried to keep them on hand just in case. Moving out of his shelter after snuffing the fire using a small air jutsu he had learned that was only good really for snuffing the life out of fires.

Moving quickly, Naruto went to investigate, since he was one of four people who knew about this particular safe-zone. What he saw made his eyes widen. Laying sprawled on the ground like a corpse was a guy in a long red coat. He had a freaky purple mask, gauntlets and armored boots. The man groaned a bit and stirred weakly. Given that the man was splashed liberally with blood, Naruto was amazed the man was even alive at this time.

Making a snap judgment, Naruto quickly hoisted the man to carry him back to the shelter, before he activated the alarm seal the Hokage had installed in here.

--ELSEWHERE--

Sarutobi was swamped. He was slowly being buried in the most dreaded thing in the known world… paperwork. It was the bane of his existence and it hated him as much as he hated it. Unfortunately for the old man, Paperwork was a smart adversary, merciless and cunning. Sarutobi, the famed "Ninja Professor", in spite of all his knowledge, had yet to find a way to conquer this adversary. Fortunately for him, a distraction arrived in his hour of need.

The seal he had given to Naruto to place in his safe houses gave a three small chirps. The third immediately pushed himself away from his desk and went to the door.

"Geko, fetch me Fox and Neko. Bear, I am going out. Stay here and tell everyone that I am indisposed at the moment." The two ANBU nodded before one resumed his guard position and the other _poof_ed out to retrieve the two commanded by his Hokage.

_Whatever is wrong, Naruto, we will fix it as best we can, _thought Sarutobi as he moved quickly out of his office and over the walls. He was quickly joined by his three ANBU agents. All three knew Naruto, the real boy and cared about him. They were some of his most dedicated caretakers.

Moving quickly, they arrived at the hideout, expecting to see Naruto looking much the worse of wear, and astounded to see him healthy and mobile, taking care of a stranger in outlandish garb.

Naruto looked up hearing the thumps of them landing, his hand automatically clenching on the kunai knife he held in hand, and smiled at his adoptive Grandfather.

"Old man, am I glad to see you," the boy said, jumping up and moving to the small old man who embraced him quickly.

"Naruto, what is wrong? The alarm seal I gave you sounded an alert, so I brought a medic and two guards, but you are unharmed. Why?"

Naruto nodded at this question, because he had been told not to sound it unless he was hurt and needed aid. Naruto gestured at the man and gave his report to his Hokage, in clear, succinct language.

After he was done, Geko moved to the man and began to examine him while Neko watched over him should he become… unreasonable. Fox looked at Naruto and nodded.

"Quick thinking. We can't have strangers running around without us knowing it. Good job Naruto." The fox-masked woman tousled his hair affectionately.

Naruto grinned at her before ducking out from under her hand, attempting to straiten his unruly blond mop. He liked her, looked up to her as an older sister. She was full of good advice if he needed it. Before he could say anything, Geko stood up and dusted his hands off.

"Lord Hokage. I have completed my examination. He is healing rapidly, in a situation strikingly similar to Naruto. He has two broken ribs and a cracked shoulder-blade. Neither of which is preventing him from waking up. He had, however, been hit a mild sedative, which when combined with a hard enough blow, can render one unconscious. Do you want me to wake him?" Receiving a nod, he looked back at the comatose-looking figure before making several hand signs. "Fire Style: Purifying flame!" called Geko as he lay his hands on the figures forehead and stomach. The figure reacted as everyone expected him to, by sitting bolt upright and gasping as the toxin was burned away inside him.

"Wow, what a rush!" said the figure before collapsing again. Naruto just blinked for a second before laughing. Sarutobi had to join in, as both of them had experienced that particular jutsu before, and that was not the way they had described it. As Naruto had put it, it was worse than being beaten for three days with a club. Sarutobi had agreed, but in their case it was because the toxin was much more potent.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 Blood vows and demons… oh my

After Geko had finished with curing the stranger, he looked to his Hokage, who nodded before he _poof_ed away, leaving Naruto, Fox and Neko to look after him. They didn't have long to wait, thanks to the skilled attentions of the healer. The man sat back up with a small groan.

"Damn that stupid ass. See if I take another job for him again…" were the first words out of his mouth.

"Who are you, stranger? Why are you here?"

The stranger looked up at the group, seeing the Hokage, flanked by two females in professional looking clothing and face masks with a fifteen year old sitting on the ground in front of them. It was the boy who held his attention the most, as his extra senses were telling him some interesting things about this boy.

"My name is Dante, and as for why I'm here… well, frankly I have no idea where _here_ is, so I don't have one."

"I see. Well, we can offer you hospitality in return for your word to cause no trouble for the night. I will need to speak with you again tomorrow. In the meantime, Naruto-" on hearing his name, the boy looked at the old Hokage- "Why don't you go back to your appartment and get some rest. Fox, you are released for the night and Neko, would you show our guest to the hotel?" getting nods from the two ladies, the Hokage smiled a bit as they all left.

All in all, it was a successful handling of the situation. So why did he feel a chill of premonition? Something was going to happen soon, and he deeply doubted that it would be a good thing.

Naruto was just about home. He had managed to avoid the gangs of people on street level by using the roof road. He sighed as he listened to the ones below him, cursing the "demon brat" for escaping them. He didn't know why they called him that, but it was wearing on his already over-thinned patience.

Pushing the uncomfortable thoughts to the back of his mind for later, he finally made it back home. However, his night was about to go straight to hell.

Just pushing the door open, there was a slight _shnick _sound and then an expolsion threw the door, and Naruto, into the wall nearby. Having been stunned by the impact, his ears ringing, and his eyesight blurred by the impact and the smoke, he saw his home, all he had go up in smoke.

Before he could do anything, he was beset by another angry mob. This time he couldn't run, couldn't defend himself. He was going to die. He knew that, and hated it.

As the villagers and even some of his supposed comrades and guardians, the ninja of the leaf, continued their beatings, there was four things that saved him. One was the stunning arrival of the stranger, who arrived like a comet from on high, using the shockwave of his impact to stun several villagers.

The second thing was a particular pale-eyed girl and her father. They had been on their way home and had heard and investigated the noise only to see the boy getting the holy hell beaten out of him. Without a thought or a moments hesitation, Hinata ran into the crowd, using her families fighting style to disable the insane villagers. Hiashi followed after getting over his own shock at his daughters actions.

The third thing was the arrival of Neko, Fox and the Third Hokage, who immediately started returning the beating to the villagers for breaking the law.

The fourth and final thing was Naruto himself. Out of the blue, a fierce wave of anger broke over the combatants, freezing up most of the people. They turned to see Naruto stand up and break a villagers leg. He then proceeded to pay them back for all the abuse he'd gotten.

He was so lost in fury that it was only the actions of one Hinata Hyuga that managed to calm his insane rampage. She stood in front of him, tears in her gentle eyes begging him to stop. What shocked everyone what that he did.

Until one of the villagers hit her before anyone could react. When he saw that, Naruto flipped even more. Moving too fast to track, he kicked the man with a lunging kick to the chest, grabbed one of his arms, yanked him back before grabbing his throat and ripping it out in a spray of blood. Everyone, villagers on up to the Hokage himself froze at the sight of the now-dead villager bleeding out on the ground.

Naruto snapped back to himself and saw what he had done. With a look of dawning horror, he screamed in pain and fled the scene. Hinata had seen what he did, everyone there did, but that didn't change her feelings for the boy. She spit on the corpse of the villager and then took off in hot pursuit of her secret crush.

Naruto was perched on a tree limb, crying in shame at what he had done. He hadn't wanted to hurt the villagers, hell, he wanted to protect them! But when he saw that one man hit Hinata in the back, he had lost it and any vestige of control he had. Now he was beating himself up inside for what he had done, and in front of everyone no less.

_Maybe their right. Maybe I am a demon._

That was what he was thinking until he saw Hinata looking at him from across the same branch he was perching on. He started to turn away in shame, only to be stopped by her soft, gentle hands on his face.

"N-Naruto, I-..I saw what happened and…"

"Yeah, Hinata, I killed him. I'm sorry for doing it but after he hit you… I just- I couldn't let him get away with that!"

Hinata's heart was glad that he said that, and she opened her mouth to say something else, but they were interrupted.

"Naruto, I have to speak with you." came the voice of the old Hokage.

"Hinata, come on. Let's go see what the old man wants, aside from a severe chewing-out."

Hinata giggled a bit in spite of the seriousness of the situation. Naruto could always make her laugh.

--2 hours later--

Hinata was in shock. Naruto, her crush, was the container of the demon fox? How? Why? It made no sense… Although many things now did to the smart girl.

As for Naruto himself, he was likewise in shock. His mind was awhirl with random thoughts and feelings, sadness, anger, understanding. He sat for a few minutes as he absorbed all the information the old man he looked at as a grandfather had given him. He had the most feared demon trapped inside him and was to be its container till his dying day. Then he began to laugh and cry at the same time.

"Naruto? W-What's wrong?" asked Hinata in concern. She was afraid he was having a mental breakdown.

"Oh, it's just that now I get why I've been hated all this time… damn." Suddenly he was possessed of a deep and abiding anger. Moving quickly, he punched the wall, it being less likely to get hurt than if he hit the old man or Hinata. He did this several more times cursing all the while.

"Why? WHY?! All I wanted was to be accepted and cared for, to protect this village and its people! Damn it all! (Sigh) Well, if that don't clinch it. Old man, I can't stay here. If I do, I'm gonna get murdered in my sleep. There's only so much you can do with that stupid Council on your back, so…"

The Third Hokage nodded sadly as he saw the truth of what Naruto was saying. Hinata paled a bit as she too realized the implications of what he was saying. She would never see her love again! She had to sop it!

"Why? Why do you have to leave? Why can't you stay here… stay with me?" She whispered the last bit, but she was still heard loud and clear. Naruto was a bit surprised at that, but he moved over to her and instinctively wrapped her in a hug.

"There is nothing I would like more than to stay… here… but if I do, even if I tried, I'd still be forced to leave eventually, and on that trip, there is no coming back… And I'm not ready for that trip yet."

Hinata nodded as she finally saw what he meant, blushing a bit as she accepted his embrace, feeling secure and safe for the first time in a long time. She just rested her head against his shoulder and cried a bit, since she would be losing him so soon.

"I'm sorry, but…" She still couldn't speak the words, the words that nestled oh so close to her heart.

"I know, just hold on. When I'm strong enough, I'll come back for you, I swear."

Hinata pulled back from him quickly. "Really? You mean it?"

He nodded, then pulled a kunai from his holster, and before she knew what he planned, he cut his palm and told her, in a solemn voice, "Hinata Hyuga, I swear by my hearts blood, I will return for you once I have achieved my strength. " Hinata blushed at his vow, and smiled at him. What she did next surprised the two men in the room.

Taking the bloody kunai from Naruto, she likewise cut her palm to let the blood flow and told him, in an equally solemn voice, "Naruto Uzumaki, I swear by my hearts blood to be strong enough for you when you return for me." Extending her cut hand towards Naruto, he nodded and took it, letting their mutual vows meet. There was a tingle as their hands met and their blood flowed, then a small burning.

Crying out in shock, the two teens looked at their hands in amazement. There was a small mark on their hands, a spiky circle enclosing the kanji for blood vow. Sarutobi was shocked. He had never seen that happen before, and he had seen quite a bit in his time. Hinata saw the mark on her palm and looked questioningly at Naruto, only to see him looking off into space with a look like he was deep in thought.

--INSIDE THE MINDSCAPE--

Shaking his head at the rough landing, Naruto looked around. _How in the hell's did I get in a sewer? Last I knew, I was in the old man's office… Hrm… lets investigate._ So deciding, Naruto began poking around. In his wanderings, he saw strange things, pipes, what appeared to be an office, and a picture gallery, except that most of the frames were empty, with the notable exception being a large picture of Hinata framed in gold. That shocked Naruto, but he was gonna let it lie for now. He was nearing the end of the trail and he was curious to see what lay at the end.

Reaching it, he was surprised to see bars with a seal on it that he had never seen before. Moving closer, he tried to see if anything was in the cage, when two glowing eyes opened up almost directly in front of him. Letting out a scream of fright, he jumped back.

**:Hello, boy. Finally decided to stop by and see me after all this time, huh? I'd just about given up on that.:**

"What are you talking about? Where am I, and who in Kami's name are you?!"

**:Well, as to the first, you are currently… in your mindscape. I have to say, I will be really glad when you get around to changing the décor around here. Quite depressing to see this day in and day out for thirteen years. And as to the second, I am none other than the Kyuubi no Kitsune, your so-called "demon fox":**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Frowning at the creature, Naruto looked at it. "You're the nine tailed fox demon who tried to destroy this village? Great. Now I'm hallucinating."

**:Erht, wrong answer, boy. I am indeed your demon fox, and I can prove it to you.:**

"Really? How?"

**:Do you remember that burning you felt when the new seal was placed on you?:**

"Yeah, why? What does that have to do with anything?

**:I did that. It signifies your blood vow, yours and the girls. By contacting her blood, I was able to get a feel for her emotions, and she cares a lot for you, kit, so I marked you both so you won't forget your oath to each other. Besides, it's a good way to keep in touch. If one of you needed the other, you would know and could respond.:**

"Okay, I can see that, but it's not enough. How about explaining my healing and my freakish senses, oh great fox," this last being delivered with great sarcasm.

**:Stupid brat. Grrr. I outa beat you in your fathers place. As to your healing, that would be me, not wanting you to die. Plain and simple, if you die, I die. As it is, my time left is limited, and I've come to have affection for you, so… As for your senses, you are gaining mine as time goes on. I could possibly fight this for a while, but I'd loose, and I never cared to fight a hopeless fight.:**

"Translation, please?"

**:(Sigh) Well, to put it simply, this seal I'm trapped in is slowly fusing you and I together into a single entity. So, naturally, your physical characteristics would change to keep up.:**"Okay. So what's that gonna do to me? Or you, for that matter?" Said Naruto with some concern. After all, he didn't want this to do any really weird crap to him that he didn't like with no say in the matter.

**:Well, For you, it will increase your senses, strength, endurance and so forth. Eventually, you will assume the throne as my heir to the Kitsune race. As for me… well, this is awkward but… I'm going to be dead.:**

"Say what! Why?"

****

:Cause of the seal. It drains my power, transferring it to you. Once all my power has left, I will disappear. That's it.:

"Damn, dude, you got the short end there…"

****

:Tell me about it. But before I go, you should know that the final transference won't happen for a few years yet. And in that time, I intend to teach you all I know:

"I take it I can't refuse this promotion, huh?"

****

:Nope.:

"Damn," Naruto sighed at hearing this particular bit of news.

****

:And just why so great a sigh? Is there something wrong with being immortal?:

"Yeah, in this case, there is. If I am immortal, you baka fox, I will outlive everyone in Konoha."

****

:So? Given how Konoha has treated you, and by extension me, I for one am just as glad.:

"Damn fox! If I can't die from old age, I'm gonna lose Hinata!" The boy screamed in outrage, then clapped his hands over his mouth with an expression of comical dismay being overtaken by a huge blush.

**:Ah, ha! So the truth comes out! Well, as to that, we will cross that bridge when we need to, cause I know a lot more than you do, and I know a way out of that bind. Unfortunately, we need more time before it can happen.: **And the great fox refused to say more on the subject despite all of Naruto's pleas. Sighing in defeat, the boy looked around.

**:What are you looking for, kit?: **asked the giant fox

"The exit. I still have things to do in the real world."

**:Oh, that's easy. All you need to do is will yourself awake.:**

The boy just gave him a long look before fading away. The last thing Naruto heard before the familiar office of the Hokage faded into view was a long chuckle from the fox. He saw the concerned looks of Hinata and the Third, so he decided to give them a detailed report of what had happened.

--twenty minutes later--

"Wow, Naruto, that is quite a lot of information to take in. How are you holding up?" asked the leader of the Leaf village in concern.

"Good actually, now that I know the truth. In spite of the weirdness of the night, now I know. It was worth it." the boy was smiling slightly as Hinata curled up next to him on the couch near the wall of the Hokages office, with Naruto holding her close.

"Naruto, when will you come back? I don't want to lose you now that I have you…" said Hinata in a wistful voice. She knew the reasons he had to go, and he knew that she would be waiting when he got back.

"Dunno, but remember what that baka fox told me? If you need me, you can call me and I will come for you. You know I will never abandon you." said a more open Naruto than Sarutobi had seen for some time. He watched in amusement as he looked at her, and she met his gaze with one of her own. Eventually, he cleared his throat to re-capture their attention. It was either that or leave as his couch became their personal make-out zone.

Naruto shot his erstwhile grandfather a glare, while Hinata hid her face in Naruto's side to hide her blush. Sarutobi grinned as he saw that. He knew what was going on even if they didn't.

"Naruto, as your apartment was destroyed, I am having you housed in a secret location. No one is to know of it aside from us three and one more."

"Whose the last one?" asked Naruto with some suspicion. He didn't exactly have a long line of people on his friends list.

"Hinata's father. Now as to why…" and he proceded to tell them.

Hiashi Hyuga was a man given to long thought before acting, weighing the consequences of both success and failure in any endeavor before following through with it. So it was no surprise he thought long and hard about the proposal the old Hokage had put to him concerning his eldest daughter.

Not that he had anything against Naruto personally or professionally, it was simply his fatherly instincts acting up. He wasn't sure he wanted his daughter to live with a boy for two days acting as his go-between for the village.

Oh, granted, he understood that her feelings for the boy in question were quite strong. He also understood, because Sarutobi had told him, they had sworn a mutual blood vow to be strong enough for each other. He finally gave his consent as long as she did not act as a servant herself, and instead had some branch members do it for her. She was to arrange a list of required materials and give it to them, then they would fetch the material and bring it back for her.

Sarutobi agreed as he had no problems with that, most of the branch members knew Naruto and liked him from a distance, seeing him as a hard worker kept down for no apparent reason. The few who knew him personally would attest to that.

Hinata was on cloud nine. She had set up a small home, ostensibly to try living on her own, but in reality to spend Naruto's last days in this village with him. Naruto was just as happy. He got to spend his last days in a hate-filled village "in the presence of a radiant beauty", as he put it. Hinata had blushed and fainted at that.

Naruto had chuckled to himself and picked her up gently, to bring her to her bedroom. Only to find that she had somehow managed to lock her arms around him. He couldn't get out of the embrace short of breaking her arms, and he would light himself on fire before he would hurt her. So he just lay there beside her until she woke and blushed deeply upon seeing him beside her on the bed.

After Hinata had managed to wake and stay awake, they moved to the kitchen/dining room and fixed some tea and began to talk about what he would need. He needed to travel relatively lightly, and still be able to reach somewhere he could train to become stronger. She had made out the list, and had sent a branch member off to get it. He had done it gladly because she had asked him. Hinata was very popular among the Branch members because she was always polite and sweet-natured with everyone. It didn't hurt that she had entrusted him with a secret, that they were doing this for Naruto. After that they had settled in and talked. Since they hadn't socialized much beforehand, there was understandably some catching-up to do. By the end of their time together, they were both firmly convinced that there was something between them. On the night before Naruto was to leave the village, Hinata had asked Naruto to hold her while she slept, because she was most comfortable that way.

Naruto of course had no objection. Fortunately for Hiashi's peace of mind, nothing… untoward… happened that night. He wasn't quite ready to be a grandfather yet.

It was the day. Naruto was depressed that he had to leave his home and especially Hinata, but he had no choice. If he was to protect those closest to him, he had to forge himself and his power. He knew that, and so did Hinata. Just thinking about her brought a small warm feeling to the seal on his hand. He smiled at that, knowing that the warmth was her thinking of him as well.

Gathering his few possessions and his weapons kit, he strapped the sealing scroll holding his gear into a slot inside his kit before heading out. He had said goodbye to his ANBU guardians, who were all sad that they couldn't be realeased from duty to go with him, to Hiashi, who had invited him over for tea after he returned, and to the Third Hokage, who was sad that he had to go, but accepted it as necessary. He had tried to find Hinata, but she had disappeared somewhere. Sighing a bit, he hopped over the wall and out of the village and headed into the trees.

Moving at a measured pace, he headed into the forest, only to be jumped on from behind. Moving fast, he spun out of the fierce hug and then latched on with one of his own to one Hinata Hyuga who had been waiting for him.

"I was waiting for you, so I could tell you how I feel. But, the words…" she told him as tears threatened to spill out.

"Shh, shh, it's alright Hinata. If you can't find the words, then use actions to speak them. Remember what that old saw said? 'Actions speak louder than wo--" His recitation of the old adage was interrupted when Hinata grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled him down, kissing his surpised face on the lips. Deeply.

When she broken the kiss, she giggled at his expression, which reminded her of someone whacked upside the head with a two-by-four. Totally stunned. Then life returned to his face, he looked down at her measuringly, then returned the favor.

"Unfortunately, dear one, I do have to go, or I never will."

"I know, just as I know you will return for me."

"No questions. Kami Himself could not bar my way."

Moving past her, Naruto was quickly lost in the gloom of the forest. Hinata just stood there and cried as her love was torn from her. That was how Hiashi found her, and tried to comfort his bereaved child.

Naruto heard the sounds of Hinata's heartbroken cries behind him, and he hated himself more than ever for doing that to the girl, but he had no choice. Cursing himself for a Kami-forsaken idiot, he pushed on, until he heard a voice hail him.

"Hey, kid, got a second?" Looking behind him, he saw the stranger named Dante following.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

--3 YEARS LATER--

In a hidden safe house long abandoned, there was a haze in the air, similar to a heat mirage in the desert. It wavered there for a few seconds, then two figures stepped through. One of them, a young man with red hair in a basic tail stood tall, shaking his head.

"Man, I hate that thing. Creepy as all hell!" he was average height, amber-eyed with slits, and whisker marks on his face. He was dressed in a hakama, black tobi socks, sandals and a gi top, black with red kanji spelling out _inferno_

"Yeah, that thing is about the worst way to go, but, you have to admit, Inferno, it is the quickest." This figure was taller than his companion, also dressed in a hakama, tobi socks, sandals, and gi top, but his kanji spelled out the word _Tempest_.

"Well, Tempest, you would know better than me. Well, lets go see what has changed in the Village of the Leaf, shall we?" he asked. Receiving a nod, he made two hand signs, and the pair faded from view.

Naruto, or Inferno as he had been known as while with the Calamity squad of the Dark Sky demon-world ninja, knew the way to go. He was glad Tempest knew his signature well enough to follow him even though they were hidden from sight. They had practiced this type of infiltration more times than he cared to remember, with more at stake than just their lives if they failed, and they had pulled it off. Granted, Quake had died from covering their retreat, but he had done it.

Shaking off the thoughts of the fallen leader, Naruto focused on the here and now, instead of the past. Moving past his friend, he quickly led the way to the great walls of Konohagakure, the Village hidden in the Leaves. Perched on the wall, he lowered his chakra until it was barely there before taking his bearings and leaping off onto the roof road he had used in his youth. After he had made it into the village successfully, he raised his chakra enough to be sensed by Tempest , then moved off toward the Hokage's tower.

--INSIDE THE TOWER--

Sarutobi was feeling his age. And the paperwork was worse than ever. Sighing in defeat, he moved around his desk until he reached his windows, opened them up to let in some fresh air, and lit his pipe. He used the pipe to smoke out of to calm his nerves, rather than drink himself oblivious. Neither solution was perfect, but he could deal with the pipe's effects.

He was looking over the village that was his to care for, and letting his mind rest easy for a while. Or at least he was until he felt a pulse of chakra, unfamiliar chakra, right behind him.

Whirling around, he saw two figures standing before him. Both were dressed similar to martial artists, but one had Inferno written on his gi and the other's read Tempest. He couldn't see their faces due to the masks they wore, and their headband declared them to be from a completely unknown village. Dropping into a defensive stance, he looked them in the eye, pipe forgotten.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"We are the survivors of Calamity group, and we are here to see you." said the one of the right, the one that had Tempest on his chest.

"Tempest, you know he doesn't know about Calamity, so why bring it up now? If this weren't important, I'd smack you right here." said the other, the one that had Inferno written on his chest.

Needless to say, Sarutobi was confused as hell. _Calamity? Who were they? And why does his voice sound so familiar…? It can't be…_

"Identify yourselves, or be prepared to defend yourselves."

"(SIGH) Guess you don't recognize me, huh, grandfather?" said the second man. Sarutobi had a sneaky suspicion of who he was but he needed one last bit.

"Gahhh… Dammit old man, has your brain died from too much paperwork? It's me, Naruto!" exclaimed the man before pulling his mask down, revealing that it was, indeed Naruto. His eyes had changed, and his whisker marks more pronounced, but it was him. Instantly, the old man rushed forward and embraced the man before him.

He had missed the little blond terror. Life had been much too quite without him there. Unfortunately, two things happened to put an abrupt end to this happy re-union.

One, a councilmember had burst into the office unannounced, and saw the Hokage apparently being kidnapped. He then raised a holy ruckus, drawing the ANBU to the room.

That was the second thing, they came hostile, and let out an attack before a word could be said. This would have been undoubtedly fatal to Naruto had Tempest not intercepted and blocked it, stopping it with his bracer. When the man froze in shock, Tempest had analyzed the situation and had begun plotting his actions. Three simple steps later, the first, a smoke bomb so no one could see him making signs, second, the attack itself which was a simple paralyzing agent using the smoke as a carrier, not fatal at all, and third, an apology to the Hokage for stopping the baseless assault.

"Not at all. You have the right to defend yourself from un-needed aggression. ANBU, I am not being kidnapped. I was simply greeting a dear friend of mine. Once the attack has worn off, you may leave."

All of them responded with an affirmative and within five minutes, had vacated the room. Naruto grinned at the old man, the old familiar grin and said, "Well, lets catch up on the news huh?"

--Four Hours Later--

Sarutobi sat stunned at the tale the young man had told him. If Naruto hadn't sworn on his honor it was true, Sarutobi might have suspected a tall tale… Snapping himself back to reality, he shot Naruto a sly grin at his own news.

"Well, as you know, when we form genin teams, we build a three man cell with a fourth senior instructor to lead them."

"Yeah, so? I learned that back in the academy before I left. Why bring it up now, unless… No! She isn't?!"

The old man nodded. "She most assuredly is. Unfortunately, we don't have teammates ready for her yet… Hey! Where are you going?!" he yelled to the youth as he tore to the window.

"To see _her_, old man! Later!" he yelled before dropping out the window.

--AT THE HYUGA COMPOUND--

Hinata was depressed. It had been three years since she had last seen her love Naruto, and she missed him so much. She had grown during his absence. Hiashi had commented on it last, how she kept pushing herself harder and harder. She simply said that she had told Naruto she would be strong for when he returned, and by Kami she would be! Hiashi had wisely backed off at that point.

At the moment, she was having some tea while reading a scroll of history. It was interesting to see how things were run back in the day as compared to now. She was learning so much, but she was afraid. She wasn't stupid, after all, and she could count. In her class was an odd number of students. They were two short, and that meant that someone would go teamless until and unless someone dies in the line of duty. While she didn't want that to happen to anyone, she also didn't want to be left behind. She was thinking this over when a scent hit her like the proverbial mallet.

Reacting quickly, she spun towards the source of that unique scent and glomped it. A fox-like bark was heard before whatever she had latched onto revealed itself. When it did, she nearly squealed with glee. It was him! He was back!

Before he could do anything, she had grabbed his mask, yanked it down, and drawn him into a deep kiss. She didn't release him from it until a discreet throat-clearing behind her alerted her she was no longer alone with her love. Spinning quickly, she saw, to her horror, her Father and her sister.

Blushing deeply, she nodded a greeting to her father and her sister, who regarded her curiously. "Hinata, would you care to introduce your… friend?" asked her father with a wicked twinkle in his eyes. Hinata, in turn, narrowed hers suspiciously. She had told him of her crush on and feelings for Naruto, and now he was…

Oh, okay, he was out to embarrass her. Now she got it. Well, not this time, no way, no how. "Not really, Father. He's a good friend. Let's just leave it at that."

Hiashi's eyebrow twitched a bit at that. So he had been found out, had he? Well, then. "Okay, dear. Would your _good friend_ like to have tea with us?" He gave some emphasis to that, wondering what his or her reaction would be. He knew well and good who it was, given the embrace he had unfortunately seen. Father's weren't meant to see such things from his daughters, after all.

The figure started to say something before Hinata clamped her hand over his mouth. "We will join you presently father. I have to make myself presentable for company."

Hiashi's eyebrows twitched again. He thought she was presentable enough, but then again, he wasn't Hinata. If she said she wasn't presentable, then he would do well to believe her, especially when she used that tone of voice. _So much like her mother _was Hiashi's thought before directing Hanabi out the door.

Hinata waited a little bit before removing her hand from Naruto's mouth. The first thing he did was ask her, in a semi-gasping voice, "Hinata, could you please move your elbow?"

Hinata looked at her elbow and blinked. It was resting squarely on his gut and digging in. She jumped back and began to apologize, but he just waved it off, smiling all the while. "No big deal, Hinata, but if one may inquire…?"

"What, that by-play between me and Father?" after receiving a nod she continued. "He was just trying to embarrass me, and I wasn't going to let him."

"Oh. Well, then. Shall I let you become 'presentable', as you put it?" he asked her with a teasing grin on his face.

"Give me a little bit. I won't be long, I promise." she said as she gave him a small smile.

Ten minutes later, freshened up and changed, she went to meet the other three at the small study her father maintained for informal meetings and tea between him and his two daughters, only to stop on hearing a conversation in progress.

"Well, you are back. This is good. My daughter has missed you quite a bit during your three year absence, Naruto."

_So, he knows who I am… make a note of that for later._ "I am sorry, Lord Hyuga. The absence was for the best, I think. Though I will admit to missing your daughter's friendship quite a bit myself."

_Huh, so he doesn't know that she told me… heh, I could have some fun here _thought Hiashi. Setting his face into an unreadable poker face, he looked Naruto square in the eye and asked "Is that all you missed? Her friendship?"

_Hiashi's scent changed here… lighter, not bitter at all… I see. She must have told him, that crafty girl._ Naruto knew damn well and good that it was impossible to hide or to sneak out of- or into- the Hyuga compound successfully often enough to carry on a covert courtship. So, she had nipped the problem in the bud. _Clever girl._

"Lord Hyuga, why would you ask me that? Have I given you any cause to doubt my good intentions?"

_Good, a neutral answer. The boy is clever. That last bit was smart. "Good intentions" has more than one meaning here, as he no doubt knows. How can I trap him?_"All the same, she is my daughter, and I must look out for her welfare. I will not have her being led along like a fool," he said, his voice stern. He knew she was there and listening. The question was, did Naruto?

The answer, unbeknownst to Lord Hiashi Hyuga, was a definitive yes. Hinata's unique scent wafted to his sharp nose, carrying the sharp spice of definite amusement. _So, she's enjoying watching me verbally spar, eh? Well, then, spar I shall_. "Lord Hyuga, I have too much respect for her to toy with her in such a manner. Besides, I doubt anyone would be that foolish, given her, and your, reaction to such a thing."

_True, I'd hunt them down and remove vital parts, without pain-blockers first. _"All the same, why have you returned here, now, after all this time. I doubt you would be welcomed back any better than before."

"Ah, too true, but at the moment, only the Hokage, eight ANBU, one councilman, you and your daughters know I am here at all. Only your family and the Hokage know who I am, Lord Hyuga. I trust your discretion in this as in all else."

_Ah ha, so he's onto me now, is he? Wow, I'm getting old. Better wrap this up before I get in too deep._ Pretending to "suddenly" spot his daughter at the door, he gestured for her to come into the room. She was wearing a smirk before she sat down, and he scowled at her. "What, my dear, is that smirk for?"

"You got beaten. Again," she said, not loosing the victorious look. "Father, what ever happened to your touted diplomatic skills? It's not like you."

Hiashi's eyebrows twitched at that, and he scowled at her. True, it _wasn't _like him to lose like this twice in a row. But still. Something was definitely off here. "I must be tired today. Believe me, I haven't lost my touch yet. Although if the two of you were to work together, I'm sure you would give most anyone a run for their money," he said, giving them a justly earned compliment. Hinata smiled at Naruto, who smiled back and nodded. That settled, they settled in once more for an informal tea.

Sarutobi was grumpy. He knew exactly where Naruto had gone, and he was being called into a meeting with the Kami-damned council sticking it's nose in where it didn't belong. He was, after all, the Hokage of this village. The council was protesting then fact that they hadn't been told about the two strange ninja being in the village at all, and demanded to know how they had managed to get to the Hokage's own office undetected.

Well, as he so rightfully reminded them, they, the council, was a supportive body made to _advise _the Hokage, not dictate affairs to him. He had reminded them of that very fact, and the looks on their faces had been gratifying to see. Since he had not requested Tempest or Naruto be present, they were not subjected to any indignity concerning their identy. All Sarutobi told them was their code names, and that their loyalty to Konoha and it's laws was sure.

Sarutobi had exercised his right as the leader to call the meeting to a close, and since his word was law, they couldn't do anything but bow in acceptance and file out of the room. The old man was feeling his years more and more these days. But he was still possessed of the Will of Fire, and as such, he was needed until his worthy successor was found.

He was yanked from his musing by the flair of an unfamiliar chakra signature. Rushing out the doors, he called for his ANBU to follow as he investigated.

Naruto also felt the chakra flair, but unlike the third Hokage, was deeply familiar with it, as he'd been working with that person for over two years non-stop. _It's Tempest! Damnation! No help for it, given that flair, it's gotta be important._ Without a word, he rolled onto his back, pushing off with his hands as his legs unfolded themselves and landed, catching him before he could pull of a very undignified face-plant. Quickly moving to the wide window, he slid it to the side and jumped out, pulling his mask up as he did so. Behind him, he heard Hiashi's indistinct voice before a thump behind him alerted him to someone following in his footsteps.

Just after he had found Tempests' chakra, he heard another thump from the window, indicating that yet another person was following him. Well good. At least he wasn't going in alone. Leading the three of them, he was soon joined by the Third Hokage and seven ANBU agents. Nodding to the little old man, he maintained the lead, heading towards his partner. Getting there, he saw five people attacking Tempest. Now, normally Tempest would have done something to even those odds, and he had the abilities to do it.

The only problem with that was these were Leaf Ninja, and as good guests, it behooved them not to anger their hosts. Sighing a bit, Naruto stepped in the way of one, stopping his kick with one hand, moving through a twisty pattern ending with his target stuck like an over-tied piece of rope with Naruto kneeling on his back to ensure his continued good behavior. Tempest, meanwhile, had used a set of sashes to bind two of the enemy ninja into an unmanageable lump. The others were deterred by ANBU kunai to their throats.

The Hokage cleared his throat, making everyone focus his attention on him. "What exactly is the meaning of this… altercation Kakashi, Guy, and your team?"

The one Naruto held down, a silver-haired man with one eye covered, tried to squirm out of the hold Naruto had him in, which just made Naruto tighten it, making the mans shoulders creak in an ominous way. "Lord Hokage, I found this intruder and attempted to determine who he was and why he was here, but he didn't answer. So I tried to get his attention. It may have gotten a bit out of hand. Guy and his team saw what was happening, and came to lend assistance." Guy and his three students all nodded. The third looked at tempest, who simply shrugged and said, "I was meditating deeply, and did not hear or sense him until he tried to kick me. I did not wish to hurt them as we will hopefully be allies soon." At this the five leaf ninja got bug-eyed. After all, he had held off two jonin ninja and three Genin without taking too much damage. Guy had caught him in the face and Lee, who was currently the one tied to his teacher, had planted his foot in Tempests side, but still…

The Third Hokage smiled at the expressions. He looked at Naruto and said, "Do you suppose you could let Kakashi get up? That position looks most uncomfortable." Naruto appeared to think about it, then nodded. Moving off Kakashi, he helped the older man stand up. Kakashi shook his head. He had never had that happen before. Looking at the one who did it, he saw the amber eyes and the red hair. The mask the warrior wore obscured the lower face, but he had the nagging feeling that he knew this warrior.

"Who are you? I feel like I know you, but…"

Naruto knew Kakashi. He was one of the guardians who did his job when he was younger. Looking to the old Hokage and getting a nod, he pulled his mask down and revealed his face. "Surprise, Master Kakashi. It's me," he said with a grin, "You just got tied up by your old student."

Kakashi was stunned. He remembered his old student, and how he tried his best to learn.

--Flashback to five years ago--

Kakashi and Naruto were in a secluded training ground, Kakashi to teach and Naruto to learn. Today they were working on taijutsu. Kakashi was showing Naruto basic stances and attacks. Naruto saw the principles of it, and tried. After about twenty minutes, his muscles were sore and shaky.

Kakashi then initiated a sparring match. Naruto was quickly defeated. Just like the next three times. But he never gave up. He had to learn this stuff, and he was determined to do it.

By the end of the day, he saw the value of taijutsu, how you could interrupt a hostile jutsu before it was finished. This just made him more determined than ever to learn.

--Flashback ends--

Needless to say, Kakashi was quite stunned. Where had his old student learned that? How did he get so strong? While he was held pinned, he had the feeling if Naruto wanted to, his arms and at least one leg would have been dislocated easily. Guy and his team were likewise in shock. They had heard of Naruto, and some, like Neji, knew him personally before his disappearance. Naruto just grinned and shrugged.

"I know you guys all have questions, but now is not the time. We have some things to finalize and take care of, but we can meet later on if you're willing…" This statement was met with affirmatives. Naruto looked at Tempest and said, "You can let them go now."

Tempest nodded and moved to free Guy and Lee from their currently entangled position. After that was done, they apologized and disappeared. Naruto, meanwhile, had been engulfed in a fierce hug from two ANBU agents, one in the mask of a fox, and the other a cat. He returned their fierce embrace, having missed his adopted mother and sister. After that was done, he said, "Sorry, but I really do have stuff to take care of. We can talk later, like I said." After which, he took to the roofs again, being followed by Hinata and Hiashi, heading back to the Hyuga compound.

Fox just chuckled a bit. "Things to take care of, indeed." Everyone present heard this and chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant. The Hokage cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, you are dismissed. Good job on defusing this touchy situation. Fox, before you retire for the night, I wish to speak to you. Tempest, you are free to go, we have a room set aside for you. Neko, would you kindly show him to it? Thank you, everyone. Dismissed."

With that, everyone disappeared. Sarutobi shook his head.

Back at the Hyuga compound, Naruto apologized for the abrupt leave-taking he had done earlier. Hiashi had waved it off, knowing that loyalty to a teammate was all important in the shinobi world. As they settled back into their tea, they chatted about what had happened in the three years that they had been apart. So, over tea Naruto regaled them with some of the tales of his exploits among Calamity group and the Dark Skies ninja clan.

Hinata snuggled up to him, and he in turn wrapped his arm around her, much to Hiashi's amusement. He had no problems with the courtship itself, and he knew that even if he did, Hinata would most likely ignore his protests. Now all he had to worry about was the Hyuga Clan council, and their power-grubbing ways. Oh, well. If he knew Naruto at all, he would be able to convince them he was worthy of his eldest daughter. Hiashi settled in a bit more and enjoyed hearing Naruto's tales.

Yokona Hayate was shocked. The Third Hokage had asked her to become a Genin team sensei. Now, granted, she was fully capable of such a thing, but why her? Didn't they have enough sensei's already? From the slight grin on her Hokage's face, there was something she was missing. Now the trick of it was to figure out what it was she was missing, exactly.

"I can tell you're curious about my request. It's simple. I'm taking one of the Genin from the graduation class, one that would have to wait to be placed on a team because of insufficient graduates, and placing her with three experienced Ninja who can help her become the best she can be. Now, two of these Ninja have requested placement at the rank of genin. The third experienced ninja would be you, if you accepted this position."

"Who are they? If they accepted the beginners rank, then they must have been… newcomers… No… _he's_ going to be on the team?" asked Yokona excitedly.

Getting a nod from the old Hokage, she grinned like a lunatic before composing herself. "In light of that, I would be honored to lead the team, Lord Hokage. When are they going to be informed?"

"Tomorrow, after the teams are announced. Meet me in my office so we can surprise her with her team, eh?"

_Hoo, boy, is she going to be happy. She's crazy about him and being on his team… wow, _thought Yokona. "What am I to teach them? From the demonstration earlier, it's going to be hard to challenge them."

The Hokage nodded. He had given some thought to that, after hearing of Naruto's trials. "We are going to give them enough low ranked missions to ensure their teamwork is solid, then we will see. Maybe wardens or deep scouts…. We will see."

Yokona nodded, seeing the logic of her Lord's decision. If they couldn't work together to accomplish a mission, then the teams would have to be adjusted. Asking for and receiving permission to depart, she headed home to plan for her new team.

The next day, Hinata went to the academy to receive her team notification, hoping that Naruto would be on her team. She sat nervously waiting, as all the teams were slowly called off. Soon there were just four people left. The academy teacher who had been calling the teams looked his list over, then said, "Team 12 consists of Hayate Lao, Abuki Shaolen, and Yamamoto Ryu. Your Jonin instructor is Adamine Shoto. That is all. You are dismissed." Hinata was crushed. Not only was she not on a team, but Naruto's name was never on the roster either. She got up dejectedly to leave, when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

Looking back, it was the same instructor who had destroyed her hopes, however inadvertently. He looked at her apologetically, as if he knew what he had done, and told her "The Hokage wanted to see you, Hinata. It's about a special team placement, given how many students we had here."

Her hopes rose again, even though she told herself not to get them too high in case they were dashed again. Nodding her head to indicate she had heard the orders and would comply, she moved quickly, cutting through the crowd of graduate students and their families, moving fast to find out what the Hokage wanted.

In the Hokage office, Naruto, Tempest, and Yokono were waiting for the last member of their cell to appear. Naruto and Tempest already had their hitai-ate headbands, but had point-blank refused to give up their other headbands. Instead, the Hitai-ate was taking the place of their belts. As they had told Sarutobi, those headbands represented an important part of their lives, and as such, refused to give them over for another. Yokona nodded her head at that. To her, it would be like giving up her ANBU mask, the one she had worn for four years and served honorably under.

Besides, it wasn't as if Naruto couldn't hide his odd headband with an illusion. He had already demonstrated to the Hokage and Yokona that his grasp of the Kitsune illusions was solid and dependable. They were currently discussing what exactly their team would be used for. Naruto had suggested they have oversight type missions, acting as support on missions with questionable intelligence. Tempest himself was wiling to go along with whatever his squad was assigned. Yokona wanted to wait until she saw how their skills meshed together before she made any recommendations, and the Hokage was willing to wait until his former ANBU agent evaluated them.

As they sat, sipping tea and making small talk, the door opened and in walked Hinata. She looked a little apprehensive, but smiled at everyone regardless. Bowing to the Hokage, she said, "Hinata Hyuga, reporting Lord Hokage."

"Very good, young one. As you know, we had a shortage of passing students this year, so I have arranged for a special team to be created. Now, normally, these newcomers would have to take our genin exam to see if they have the necessary skills. In this case, however, I believe I can safely say they meet or exceed those requirements."

Hinata was curious about that. "Could you please explain, lord Hokage?"

"Certainly," the old man said affably, "You see, when they arrived, they snuck into Konoha itself, right under the nose of the guards we post to prevent such a thing. Then, after gaining entrance, they made it to this very office before revealing themselves. Almost immediately after doing so, they defeated a group of eight ANBU- ranked guards. And you yourself saw how they dealt with Kakashi, Guy and his Genin team."

Hinata nodded to herself. With those skills, it was understandable that they were considered more than qualified. No genin team could do that, hell, many Jonin teams couldn't do all of that. She was slightly intimidated at their level of proficiency, but she was also determined. She would learn what she could, and better herself, not just as a Ninja of Konohagakure Village, but as a person.

Naruto smelled her determination, and his heart soared. Hinata was going to take the challenge. He knew she would do well with them. Her drive was one of the things that attracted him to her in the first place.

**:Was it just her drive, kit? Or was it something else?: **came the mental voice of his personal demon.

'You know better than that, stupid fox! After living with me all my life, you have the balls to ask me that?' thought Naruto to the impudent creature.

****

:True enough, I have lived with you all your life. Trust me, when you chose that girl, you made the right choice. Anyway. You still have her gift? You didn't accidentally bond it to you did you?:

'Uniform, gift, and some scrolls she can pick and choose from. When we get done, Squad Thirteen is going to be the best one out there!'

The fox chuckled at Naruto's enthusiasm. It was infectious, even for an ancient demon lord, and he was looking forward to Hinata's reaction as much as his current host was. The demon wondered what her weapon would be. If he had any sense for these things- and he did- it would be powerful.

Yokona watched as Hinata nodded. She figured the girl would accept being placed in this group, given her drive. She had seen, and adopted, Naruto's style of dress. She had to admit that it was very comfortable and easy to move in. She also knew that Naruto had a spare set made up and set aside for Hinata, in case she agreed. Just as Yokona figured, she did.

The Hokage smiled gently, pleased that things had worked out so well. Passing Hinata a scroll, he told her, "That scroll holds the needed information about your squad. We are pleased that you have accepted, aren't we guys?"

Turning to see who he had addressed, Hinata was stunned. Sitting on the couch against the wall, hidden from her view and apparently under something that blocked scent as well, was Naruto, the quiet one called Tempest, and a woman who she had never met before. And the were all dressed the same. Naruto smiled at her, stood up and embraced her gently. "Well, dear one, it's nice to know that we both get our wish." Letting her go- too quickly, in Hinata's opinion- he smiled at her look of confusion. "What's the matter, dear one?"

"Both our wishes? What do you mean," she asked him point blank.

"Ah. Well, my wish was to be placed on a team with a beautiful, talented ninja who I could respect and work with. The Hokage told me that you wanted to be on my team, so, since we are now teammates, we both get our desire."

Hinata blinked in confusion for a second, then blushed furiously. Rounding on the hokage, who looked at her with an unabashed grin and twinkling eyes, she yelled out "HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?"

"Dear child, I thought you would have guessed it before now. After all, I gave you all the clues needed. Did I not?" the aged, kind old man asked in a gentle voice.

Hinata had to admit that he had. She was just so surprised that her mind wasn't quite up to it's usual speed right now. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone, Hokage or not. So she did what anyone with semi-functional brain-power would do while being embraced by her love interest: She snuggled right up to him on the couch and refused to say another word.

Tempest laughed to himself as he saw this. _Well, Inferno did tell me a lot about her. She will be a perfect wife and companion to him, if he can manage not to screw this up._ He looked at his adopted brother, a brotherhood forged on the field of battle maybe, but strong for all of that. He would do his best to help him and her achieve the happiness that was due them after their long separation.

Naruto was not unaware of his brother's scrutiny. While he may not know word for word what Tempest was thinking, he had a general idea from scent and several small facial expressions. Having worked with the man for two years in life and death situations, Naruto found him ridiculously easy to read. _Well, Tempest has taken an interest in our relationship, eh? Well, can't say I'm unhappy about that. For a chronic loner with no prospects in Dark Skies, he knows his stuff._

'I know that, fool fox. Why do you think I trust him so much?'

****

:Well, how about that time when-:

'Now is not the time! We can reminisce later, oh great demon. Right now we have business to deal with.'

****

:Alas, too true. Ah, well.:

As Naruto was having the mental side conversation with his demon, the old Hokage was explaining the details of their early assignments. Naruto understood the need to build teamwork, to ensure that they fought as an integrated whole, rather than as a collection of individuals. He was of the same school of thought as the late Quake, who felt that if the team couldn't fight together effectively, then the whole would be broken into pieces and killed. As a team, they could cover each others weak points.

Hinata managed to get her brain working again as she listened to the Hokage. She, like the rest, could see the need for teamwork. It was vital on dangerous missions. So, she sat silently, absorbing all the Hokage had to tell her and her new team.

After the Hokage was done with his briefing, the new team all stood up and bowed respectfully to the leader of Konohagakure. He nodded back, slowly puffing on his pipe, watching as they filed out of the room to begin their teamwork training.

__


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Naruto, Hinata, Tempest, and Yokona were all sitting in a circle pattern around a table in Naruto's apartment. Ironically, it was the one that he had lived in with Hinata for three days before his departure for three years. They had tea in front of them, enjoying Hinata's creation.

"Well. Why don't we get to know each other? Since I am the jonin sensei for you young 'genins', I'll start, alright," receiving nods from her team, she smiled. "My name is Yokona Hayate, former ANBU agent. I like meeting new people, hanging out with my friends, and painting. I don't like perverts and sexist morons who discriminate. My hobbies are… well, I can't say right now. Next?"

Naruto smiled. He was up. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki or Inferno, Ninja for both Konoha and the Dark Skies clan. I like training, Hinata, and ramen. I also dislike perverts, and people who judge someone before they really get to know them. My hobbies include poetry and gardening, not to mention the occasional prank."

Naruto nodded to Tempest, who took up the narrative. "My name is Shinji Kiomaru or Tempest, ninja for Konoha and the Dark Skies clan. I like training, meditating, and learning. I dislike random stupidity, pointless killing, and overconfident, arrogant morons who can't back up their boasts. My hobbies include painting as well as gardening."

Getting a look from Shinji, Hinata nodded. Taking a breath she said, "I am Hinata Hyuga, ninja of Konohagakure. I like Naruto, learning, and tea. I dislike arrogance, blind foolishness, and boorishness. My hobbies include making tea and reading."

"Wow. So we do have stuff in common among all of us, in some way, shape, form or manner. Useful, and helpful. Okay. I'm supposed to test you guys out. But, quite frankly, given that I have no idea of your skills or training aside from Hinata's, I have no idea what to test you with. So, what I'm going to do is wait for a day or two, so I can consult with the Hokage before putting anything down in stone," said Yokona.

"Why put something in stone, sensei? Stone is stubborn and hard to work with…" said Naruto with a teasing grin on his face. He knew damn well who this was, having gotten a nose-full of her scent after trouncing Kakashi. She just scowled at him, miming a cuffing motion. "Brat. Show respect to your elders."

"Yes mother. In the meantime, Hinata, I have something for you."

"Really? What," asked Hinata curiously. Naruto grinned at her and pulled out a box from under the table. Handing it to Hinata, he watched as she opened it. When she saw what it contained, she grinned. It was a uniform like what her teammates were garbed in. Resting on top was a shiny white orb. Hinata looked at Naruto enquiringly.

"That's a special orb, Hinata. Pick it up and channel some chakra into it. It will become something else. Trust me, I've seen it happen myself."

Taking him at his word, Hinata picked up the glowing orb and pushed her chakra into it. It glowed brighter, the glow shifting from white to a deep blue like the deep sea. Much to Hinata's shock, the thing flattened out and grew in length, becoming a deep blue sash.

"Well, that's definitely unique. Never heard of a sash before, but it should suit you. I know mine did, once I found the right taijutsu for me. Of course, each weapon is unique in itself."

"What do you mean? Where did you get this thing?"

"Well, while I was in the underworld, I found some of those orbs. Me and Dante made a killing selling them off, aside from the one you have and the one I have. The Dark Skies clan was _most _grateful to be able to take them off our hands."

"Yeah, for a price of course," noted Tempest ruefully.

"Well, hey. I wasn't a member of the clan at the time, so why not? After all, I was working with Dante, so it's only fair for us to receive a proper reward for our hard work that benefits others, right?" asked Naruto, assuming an air of injured innocence.

"Yeah, but you should watch out for your halo, brother."

"My halo? What are you talkin' about, you lunatic?"

"Yes, be careful. Your horns are pushing it off to the side," stated Tempest calmly while his hands wove a small illusion of a halo being shoved off to the side by a pair of oni horns sprouting from Naruto's forehead. This, of course, made the two ladies present go into gales of laughter. Naruto looked puzzled for a second, then looked accusingly at Shinji.

"Did you use an illusion on me," he asked accusingly.

"Now, brother, why would I do that?"

"Cause you're a sadistic bastard," snarked Naruto. After that comment, Shinji assumed a crushed air before turning a supercilious look on Naruto.

"Regardless of your baseless accusations, I maintain that I am innocent. Besides, there's no way to tell if I did or not."

"Not true. Did you forget that I can tell when someone lies to me?"

At this Shinji paused. Actually, he _had_ forgotten that Naruto's enhanced senses let him pick up things like that. _Dammit. Busted. How can I wriggle out of this one?_ he wondered to himself. Unfortunately for him, Naruto had retaliated by weaving a kitsune illusion. Unlike Shinji's, it was not aimed at sight. Instead it worked on sound. In this case, it made Shinji sound like a hyperactive chipmunk who sucked on some helium. This also sent the girls off into gales of laughter.

"Well? Are you going to- hey! Why are they…Naruto!" after hearing his own voice, Shinji took a bread roll and threw it at Naruto, who calmly ducked it.

"That, brother, was for using an illusion on me. Now, given my adoptive heritage, do you want to continue this little charade? Cause you know good and well what will happen to you if you persist."

This gave Shinji pause. Naruto was going to assume the Kitsune throne, was fusing with the Demon Fox, and gaining abilities from it. In a prank war, Shinji was hopelessly overmatched. All of this flashed through his head, along with some of the pranks Naruto had used in his time among the Dark Skies ninja clan. _Retreat is in order, for now._

"No thank you, I concede the field."

"Good. Now that we have that established, let's go get some food. I'm buyin'," said Naruto, before everyone stood and headed out the door.

Later, Yokona was talking to the old leader of their village. She had thought about what type of exercise to put them through, and she had one that would work, if the old man gave them the go-ahead. He pondered it for a while, then nodded thoughtfully.

"A survival exercise, huh? Three days out, then have them deliver a scroll to you here. What is the opposition?"

"This years genin teams. All twelve squads. It will be good team-work building for all of them. My teams goal is, as stated, to bring the scroll here. Their goal is to stop them, retrieve the scroll, and bring it back to their sensei. Anything goes, no lethal force. I've spoken to most of the genin team sensei's, and their all for it."

"Well. That sounds like it holds some promise. Okay. We will give it a try, and see how it plays out."

At the same time, in the Hyuga compound, Hinata was waving good-night to her teammates. After they had left, she made her way inside to speak with her father. She found him in his study, reading a scroll. She knocked on his door, causing him to look up and smile.

"Hello, Hinata, how are you? Come in, sit."

Hinata moved in and sat before her father. She was glad he was more relaxed these days, rather than being a stuck-up ass. She had seen it in other clan heads, but Hiashi was fair and nice. Oh, granted, he was firm, but he did make allowances for things beyond one's control.

"Father. I have graduated successfully, and met my team. I think we will get on well together."

"Oh? Who are they? Anyone I know?" asked Hiashi, still a little worried about his daughters chosen profession. Hinata was a kind soul, gentle and fair. He knew, though, that once a person makes up their mind, it does no good to try and dissuade them.

"You know one of them, father. I don't know if you know our sensei, Yokona Hayate? On our team is also Shinji Kiomaru, who goes by the alias Tempest, and one who goes by the alias Inferno." she stated happily, wondering if her father would make the connection.

"Inferno? Tempest? I have never heard of these ninja before. Surely we would have had reports of them here if they had… attended… wait a second. You wanted to be on the same team as Naruto, right? And you're smiling happily, even though he wasn't mentioned, so that means… Ah, so he's the mysterious Inferno. I'd wondered what made you smile so."

Hinata was shocked. "How did you figure it out?"

"Easy, dear child," laughed Hiashi, "You mentioned Tempests name before his alias, and did not give any indication of who Inferno was. Two, you rarely smile like that, and the only times I can recall are times Naruto is involved. Three, if you had not gotten your wish, you wuld probably be in your room right now crying into your pillow. As you are sitting here, smiling at me, that is obviously not the case. Once those things are seen, putting them together is not hard. Did you think to stump me with the mystery of your team?" Hiashi asked with a definite twinkle in his eye.

"Well, I had hoped… but, obviously that won't work."

"Quite true. But even before you gave me the clues, I knew who was on your team."

"Really? How!" exclaimed Hinata in surprise.

"The hokage told me earlier, while you were meeting your teammates," stated Hiashi calmly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

This of course set Hinata off into laughter. She should have known, after all.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6- The Test… and Maybe More.

Team Thirteen was sitting in a forest clearing. They had left Konoha to deliver a scroll to a blind drop location. They were currently three days out, and they were all rising from sleep. Shinji and Naruto had slept in the trees, wrapping light blankets around themselves while they kept watch. Hinata had set up her small bedroll near Naruto's tree and concealed it with some local bushes. Fortunately, she neither tossed nor snored at night. Rather, she slept very peacefully. Yokona also slept peacefully.

On the dawning of the third day, she called her young squad over to herself. They looked at her as she stood, stretched and handed the scroll to Hinata, who was the closest at the time. Looking quizzically at the scroll then back to her teacher, Hinata asked, "Sensei? Why are you giving me the scroll?"

"Well, team, this is not a mission as you were informed of it. Instead, that scroll has to be delivered to me in the Hokages office. You took three days to get here, and this exercise is made to last for three days. You will be tested for your teamwork and ability as shinobi of Konoha. This exercise also has aggressor enemies, your fellow genin squads. All of them. You are allowed, indeed expected, to defend yourselves, but a fatal attack is not allowed. Any questions?"

"Yeah. If we have to deliver this back to you on the third day of the exercise, and you are with us, how are we going to do that?" asked Naruto

"Ah, simple. In reality, I am a shadow doppelganger. So, you see, the real Yokona Hayate will be waiting for you in the Hokage's office as stated." answered the revealed shaodow clone before it _poof_ed away.

"Huh, clever. I never even realized. She is getting a b-rank prank for this one," muttered Naruto.

"You ranked your pranks? Why?" asked a giggling Hinata.

"Simple. I assign a prank to someone based on the severity of the offense given. The bigger the offense, the bigger the prank. This is aggravating, leading us on like that. Ergo, a B-ranked prank is in order. Once this mission is accomplished, that is. Shinji. We can expect the others to have orders to impede us at all costs. I want you to make a flexible plan utilizing all of our skills. Assume they are equally skilled, if you please. Hinata, help me break down the camp and get our gear squared away. We leave as soon as we are done," said Naruto, taking charge without a murmer of complaint from his team. He had learned how to lead under the tutelage of the late Quake. The long-time leader of the calamity squad had taken Naruto under his wing, aiming to make him the best leader he could be. The young ninja now used those skills to help his team through this unexpected change in mission parameters.

Two hours later, the team stopped for a short break in the forest. Naruto had listened to Shinji's plan and liked it. Simple, easy to modify on the fly, it was exactly what he needed. Hinata would act as a scout using her Byakugan eyes to scout for chakra signatures while Naruto moved ahead of her to defend that front and Shinji moved behind to defend the rear. Naruto had entrusted the scroll to Hinata, because her families fighting style, along with her new weapon, would deter anyone foolish enough t attempt the old snatch-and-run move.

Naruto sipped some water slowly. He caught shinji's eye and made a couple handsigns. These one's weren't for a jutsu, they were Dark Skies hand talk. Using this compact sign language, he alerted Tempest that they were being pursued by at least one genin cell, maybe two. Hinata looked up, seeing the unfamiliar hand movements. She figured that they were talking to each other and hiding their hands before their bodies. Discreetly using her Byakugan, she scowled as she saw the chakra of six people.

Motioning to Naruto, she held up three fingers and flashed them twice, letting him know how many people were tailing them. He nodded, also scowling. This was a depressing development. He had hoped that the competitive nature of the young and stupid would have prevented this, but apparently not. _So, on to plan B then,_ thought Naruto. He motioned to his team, then said, loud enough for his persuers to hear, "Okay, time to get moving. We don't wanna be here too long." Nodding, his teammates moved up and took off, running at a distance- devouring lope. As they traveled, Naruto pondered just who it would be that jumped the gun. After about ten minutes of running, Naruto's enhanced ears heard the whistling sound of an aerodynamic object flying through the air. Reacting immediately, he pulled a shuriken out of it's holster and threw it along their back trail. His aim was good, his shuriken impacting on the thrown kunai.

Hinata and Shinji took up defensive positions as six figures jumped out of the trees around them. One was a large boy holding a bag of chips, one was a slim, tired looking boy with a pineapple hairstyle, a scowling blond girl , a scowling girl with pink hair, a teen with red hair and a teen with a fierce glare. Or at least that's what Naruto assumed he was shooting for. Naruto snickered at these two teams.

"Hinata, you went to school with them. Who are they?"

"Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ryu." As Hinata named them off, they nodded one by one to fix names with faces. Naruto looked them over. _Hrm, Sasuke looks dumb, Shikamaru looks like a ranged fighter, Choji looks slow, Ino and Sakura both look like they'd cave in a brawl, Ryu looks like he'd rather be sleeping… wow, quality is surely slippin' here, _thought Naruto.

Shinji had come to the same conclusion, but Ryu's vacant expression seemed to be habitual, rather than an actual or accurate reading. Hinata knew where she stacked up in the power ranks here, but as for her teammates, she had no clue. _Probably wipe the floor with all of them,_ thought Hinata with a small smile.

Without warning, Sasuke grabbed three kunai and threw them. Reacting instantly, Shinji jumped to the left, Hinata jumped to the right, and Naruto jumped backwards, drawing and throwing enough Shuriken to counter the kunai. Sasuke charged in to engage in close combat, thinking that since he's the rookie of the year here he'd wipe the floor with this masked loser. Wrong answer. Naruto saw him coming as he touched down from his jump. Dropping below the punch Sasuke threw at him, Naruto planted a hand on the ground and kicked upwards, tagging the fool in the face. Not wanting to drag this out, Naruto propelled himself upwards, behind the dumbass. Latching his legs around Sasukes neck and holding the boys ankles, Naruto yanked.

This caused them to spin. This spin oriented Sasuke towards a tree, which Naruto helpfully introduced him to by means of a kick to the back. Sasuke slammed his head against the tree trunk. Unfortunately for the moron, his head proved to be less stubborn than the tree trunk. Sasuke was dazed and out of it. Sakura went to help him, only to feel hard strikes to her shoulders and her back. Feeling the resulting numbness, she gasped as she fell over, completely unable to move.

Shinji was having less luck than his teammates. His taijutsu style was all about quickly breaking an opponent down, which meant he had to hit him. Ryu moved like a drunk, swaying and avoiding the hard strike. Shinji knew that if he didn't end this quick, there would be trouble.

Pulling back quickly, he made three signs and murmured "Constriction Vines," before stomping his foot on the ground. A small puff of dust arose after he did that, but there was no immediate effect. Ryu smirked, thinking the jutsu failed, but he quickly lost that when he tried to move forward, only to be caught up short. The three genin not currently engaged watched as vines slowly crept up the helpless teens body.

"These vines are strong enough to crush a two-tone boulder into powder. Imagine, if you will, what would happen to a man caught in those same vines," asked Shinji in a quiet voice. Ryu paled, and rightly so, since he was the one stuck in them. He watched as Shinji moved forward closer to him. Pulling out a small vial from a hidden pocket, he uncorked it and waved it under Ryu's nose. Once the smell reached him, Ryu gagged a bit and passed out. He went to put the vial away, but found he could not move.

Shikamaru had his hands in a strange seal, and his shadow had stretched out to latch on to Tempest's own. He growled a bit at that. _A shadow user. Dammit, I hadn't anticipated that._ He knew that Shikamaru had him, for however long the jutsu lasted. Seeing the boy raise his hands, he took a deep breath before his hands, holding the open vial still, stopped under his own nose. He could hold his breath for quite a while, thanks to intense training.

Ino, meanwhile, had launched her families jutsu at Naruto, aiming for where he would come down. He fell right into it and had his mind possessed by the girl. She looked around his mindscape, looking for the 'controls' as her father had taught her, when she saw a large set of teeth, right in front of her face. She shrieked and jumped back, looking at the large fox in shock. Where had the boy gotten that? That wasn't supposed to be here! Realizing that she had no chance against the beast in hostile territory, and not wanting to get eaten, she beat a hasty retreat.

Hinata, on the other hand, was having the easiest time of the three. All she had to do was hit Choji a few times, close some of his tenketsu points, and back off before he retaliated. She kept up the hit-and-run attacks until Choji flopped over, panting with exhaustion. Quickly moving over to Shikamaru, she proceeded to hit his chakra points as well, making his shadow shrivel up, back to a normal person's shadow. He groaned, feeling that he was overmatched by two strong fighters.

Since his weakness was revealed, he sat down, conceding the field before the fight really started. Hearing a grunt and a thump, the five of them saw Naruto standing over an unconscious Ino. He had kicked her, not hard enough to kill, but hard enough to render her unconscious for a while.

"You guys give, right?" he asked the two remaining fighters. They nodded, admitting they were overmatched by the three. "Okay. Well, since that's the case, you can tell the blond not to come after us again, right? Or I'll knock her out again, and leave her tied up in an uncomfortable position." he said in a flat voice. He hadn't liked having his mind taken like that. It was a good way to steal important secrets. Thankfully the Kyuubi had deterred the foolish girl before she got to the dangerous areas of his mind.

Taking out a length of rope, he tied the genin from team seven together, and left them there. Nodding to Hinata and Shinji, he indicated it was time to leave, posthaste. Shikamaru looked at the departing Shinobi, then looked at Choji. "What do you think of them?" he asked his long-time friend in his super-lazy voice.

"Honestly? They scare the crap out of me. No joke dude, the guys on that team could kill all of us, no problem… We were hopelessly outmatched here. What can we do about that?" he asked, hoping his friend knew an answer.

"Do about that… Train hard, man. Train as if we may die tomorrow, that and hope. Let's ask them for help when we make it back, alright? They must be good, so hopefully they can help us get there as well, you know?" he answered. The thought of all that work didn't sit especially well with him, but he knew that there were really strong shinobi in the world, and he just had his metaphorical head handed to him on a silver tray. So, the only way to counter that was to work hard.

On the second day of their adventure, Naruto and team thirteen had defeated team seven again, mostly because Sasuke refused to accept the fact he had lost and cherished a grudge. Naruto ended up putting him in the same position he had defeated Kakashi with, and then tied Sasuke with a length of rope. Sakura and Ryu were shocked that Sasuke had been defeated so easily again, but when Naruto gave them a glare and told them not to bother them again, they readily agreed.

So far it had been clear sailing for the powerhouse team of 'genins'. They had encountered no other teams as they continued their trek. Naruto was listening intently to the forest, listening for the telltale sounds that would give away an ambush, when he heard a faint cry of anguish. Making a come-on motion, he ran towards the sound.

When he arrived, he saw one of the genin teams surrounded by a group of creatures he recognized all too well. _Scarecrows, dammit! Why the hell are they here?_ he fumed to himself. Scarecrows were weak demons, sure, but even a weak demon was powerful and not easy to kill. These things could even injure Dante, the legendary Devil Hunter himself. Granted, it would take a lot of them to do it, but it could be done.

Nodding to his team, he took out his own orb as Shinji did the same. Focusing their chakra on the orbs, Naruto's glowed a fierce, fiery orange before it morphed into a pair of samurai-style gauntlets and heavy boots with blades along the side. The blades pointed down, and they were retracted so as not to dull them by stabbing them into the dirt.

Shinji's glowed an icy blue-white before flattening and stretching into a Ninja-to sword. It gave off a cold mist as it rested in his hands. Shinji looked at Naruto for a second, seeing the look of determination on his face. Sighing, he turned to Hinata to offer an explanation. "Those creatures are demons, Hinata. Low-level, weak, but still demons. As such, very few things work on them. Devil Arms being the notable exception. Certain Jutsu's also work, but not much else. That's why the genins are in trouble right now. So we're going to play rescuer and wipe this infestation out. It can't be allowed to remain. Do you understand?" Seeing her nod, he grinned at her reassuringly as Naruto made sure his weapon was fully ready.

Finding that it was, he leapt up high into the air, then using an attack Dante had perfected, he arrowed down into the crowd of demons. His attack created a shockwave effect that used fire. Several demons where incinerated by it, drawing the attention of the mostly-mindless Scarecrows. He immediately began moving in a spiral, activating his devil arms fire ability to ensure the area was plenty warm enough for the next attack.

Shinji had moved over to another crowd and attacked. His sword moving in simple, straight lines, leaving the mist behind to pool on the ground as it dropped from his sword. Once a line of Scarecrows had stepped into it, he activated his weapons Ice abilities, causing jagged shards of ice to form from the mist, piercing the hapless demons.

Hinata found that her sash sheared through them cleanly. It was incredible, she would combine the gentle fist style with the sash, flowing around and under the attacks thrown at her and removing offending limbs. Once that happened enough to a particular demon, it fell over and disintegrated into a smoky cloud before dispersing.

Naruto had enough demons following him around and around inside his spiral. And the area was plenty hot enough for what he planned to do. Suddenly dropping to the ground and balanced on one hand, he super cooled the area around his foot before kicking upward in a corkscrew motion, causing a small twister to erupt. This caught the hapless demons by surprise, shredding them by the vicious vortex of wind. Moving quickly as the tunnel of wind died down, the determined Naruto took the fight to the last of the demons, kicking them into oblivion. His boots blades erupted from their sheathes when his foot made solid contact, and when the blades couldn't be used, fire erupted as soon as foot was applied to demon.

The few remaining demons were quickly polished off, and the genins looked at. It was Ino's team, and they were all injured from the scarecrows attack. Choji had a nasty gash along one arm and his chest, which while painful and bled a lot, wasn't life threatening. Ino and Shikamaru had the dangerous wounds. Hinata had to act quickly to stabilize them. Shinji helped Hinata tend to their injuries. Naruto, being unable to do much that way, saw to Choji. He turned and made a few hand seals, nicking his thumb and then slamming it to the ground. A small _poof_ signaled the successful use of the Summoning art, and a small fox stood there, waving two bushy tails. Naruto looked at the creature and said, "Please, my friend, go to the Hokage in Konoha and tell him we have two critically wounded Genin. Bring field doctors and the Jonin instructor for our two teams. Please. Hurry." The fox nodded his head before becoming a streak of russet in the undergrowth.

Soon after, the Hokage arrived with the requested help. Yokona looked at her team in curiosity. They seemed to be fine, after all, and the fox had said that it was urgent. Seeing the other genin team laid out injured, she and their teacher, Asuma, walked over to help the doctors who had already started their work.

The Hokage pulled Naruto's team aside and asked them for a report. Naruto gave it in simple, terse language, describing the situation they had witnessed, and the abilities of the demons they had defeated. Sarutobi was dismayed that demons could show up here, of all places, but he was happy that Naruto's team had saved Ino, Shikamaru and Choji.

Clapping Naruto on the back, he said, "Congratulations on defeating the demons, Naruto. That was well done. I think that perhaps you should brief me on what Jutsu's will be effective against the demons that you've encountered so far, so I can brief the rest of the Shinobi of Konoha and our aliies."

Naruto nodded, but he could go one better. Reaching into a pouch, he pulled out a book detailing all the information acquired about all the demons the old Sarutobi wanted to know about, and several he wouldn't. Handing the tome to the old leader, he said, "Keep that. Distribute the information as you see fit. I can get another copy for myself later. Dante said he'd keep in touch, so I can get one then."

Sarutobi nodded, accepting the book. It was heavier than it looked, the paper fine and even. The thing even had illustrations of the demons, along with describing identifying characteristics. Holding on to that, he said, "Unfortunately, we will have to cancel the trial. With this new development, we can't have unprepared genin running loose, begging to be attacked again. It was purely luck that you happened to be nearby."

Naruto nodded, sighing a bit. That meant that his team wouldn't get deployed for some time yet. Hearing the sigh, Sarutobi smiled, knowing that Naruto wanted to get out into the field.

Turning back to Yokona, he said, "Yokona, I am happy to inform you that the team has passed my test. I would estimate that they are indeed well able to work together. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the information I have received from Naruto, this test is canceled. These creatures are in no way a fit match for the genin. Asuma, how is your team?"

The bearded Jonin with a cigarette in his mouth frowned a bit. His team would be a while recovering, but at least they were alive _to_ recover. And he said as much to the Hokage. Nodding, he directed that the other Jonin sensei's recover their teams quickly, so as to ensure they would not come to grief.

The Hokage was aware that the jonin's in charge of the genin cells would be rounding up their students quickly. Seeing the doctors ready the wounded for transport back to the hospital, he quietly left, not wanting to cause a fuss.

Asuma moved over to the three genin's who had rescued his students. He bowed respectfully and offered his thanks. Naruto nodded, saying that it was no trouble at all. After all, they were fellow Ninja for Konoha, and it was their duty and matter of honor to help out a fellow team. Asuma nodded, knowing that it was no less than the truth. Still, he maintained, it was a good thing they knew how to deal with the enemy at hand. He was glad that Naruto had given over the tome of information without a murmur of protest.

Naruto shrugged. After all, what was he going to do, hog the information and put his allies life in danger? It would be a VERY cold day in hell before he would let that happen, and he said so. Asuma was pleased to see his dedication to helping other's. It was a god trait to see in the younger generation.

Yokona had heard the conversation between Asuma and Naruto. Like Asuma, she was happy to see Naruto willing to help. Most of the younger generations hoarded information like it was the stuff of life itself. She had heard the Hokage say her team was fully functional and ready for missions. So, gathering her team around her, she led them back to Konoha to celebrate.

A/N: Har, har. Sasuke got his butt whooped, big time… That's good. I don't really like him too much. Too arrogant and monofocused for his own damn good. So. Now that that's out of the way. Yeah, I know that these people are acting out of character, but that's why I called this an alternate universe. I can't help it, I meddle with the story. As an aside, should Sasuke become a good guy, you know, see the error of his ways and all? Or should I keep him as a bad guy? If he does become a good guy, it will happen gradually, no sudden change-of-hearts for this thick-headed moron.

Well, that's that. I should note that this was a fun chapter to write. I goofed up. I realize that. In the first few chapter's there are some inconsistencies with the ages. They are sixteen in my story, so it starts when Naruto is thirteen, not fifteen as originally stated. I don't know why I typed fifteen, but oh well. JiC anyone was curious, there it is. And I apologize for the late posting of this lasted chapter in DHN. I was working on my other stories, and didn't finish the chapter in time. Please, don't lynch me! I'm sorry (bows in abject apology). No, seriously. I will have at least a new chapter a week until it's finished, if all goes as planned.


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